Student researchers and Mumbai residents, Rajesh Sanap and Zeeshan Mirza — both aged 23, have discovered two new species of a genus of trapdoor spiders from the southern Western Ghats. The species, rutilofronis and nilgiriensis, were discovered by the duo in Tamil Nadu, from Maruthamalai in Coimbatore district and Kotagiri in Nilgiri district respectively, and belong to a genus of trapdoor spiders called Tigidia. This is the first occurrence of Tigidia in India, which was thought to be endemic to Madagascar and Mauritius, and is a probable Gondwana relic, which means those common between Indian and African subcontinents. Sanap and Mirza’s discovery has been published in collaboration with Manju Siliwal, Neha Gupta and Robert Raven in the Journal of Threatened Taxa recently. Their findings suggest, like many studies before this, that India and Africa were part of the super continent Gondwanaland. “The Gondwana theory suggests that the Indo-Madagascar plate separated from Africa and shifted millions of years ago. The belief is that when it happened, India carried some lineages and forms from Africa which evolved here in isolation after the break-up and during the subsequent northward shift,” said Mirza. Offering as proof, their findings show that Tigidia is closest to a genus called Pisenor found in Africa. Characteristics typical to trapdoor spiders are that they make deep burrows with a cork-like lid, which they line with silk and camouflage such that it cannot be detected from outside. Difference between Tigidia and the genus of trapdoor spiders found in India called Diplothele is that Tigidia have preening combs which they presumably developed during the northward drift after India and Madagascar separated. “It is amazing how these little creatures survived the landmass breakup as many species of plants and animals became extinct due to the volcanic eruptions and climactic changes that were part of the process. In fact, many more African elements may have made their way to the Western Ghats and thus more research is required in this area,” said Sanap. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Environmental Science from Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, Delhi, while Mirza is in his final year of a Bachelors in Zoology at Bhavan’s College. Both have the discovery of various other species of spiders and scorpions to their credit.